Shifting Gears For Older Drivers

Conference Addresses Demographic Myths, Needs

SCHAUMBURG — The myth of the bad elderly driver going too slowly and causing a multitude of accidents is just that--a myth.

"That's the perception people like to advance, but it just isn't true," said Rusty Ayers, spokesman for the American Association for Retired Persons in Chicago.

The image of the accident-prone older driver grated on experts from across the country who met Thursday in Schaumburg for the Older Driver conference, sponsored in part by the state Department on Aging, the Illinois secretary of state's office and the state Department of Transportation.

The experts pointed out that drivers 55 and older account for 25 percent of the driving population but 18 percent of the accidents, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The two-day meeting, which continues Friday, showcases the strides Illinois has made in screening older drivers and the problems of getting transportation for older people who cannot drive, especially in the suburbs.

"Because of changing demographics in aging, we need to look at the policy changes we may need for the next millennium," said Jan Costello, spokesman for the Department on Aging. "We want to be sure our system of driver's-license renewal meets our needs."

The 387,000 licensed Illinois drivers older than 75 will total nearly 1 million by 2020, said Glen Bower, assistant to the secretary of state. The total rises to 2.5 million if drivers 65 or older are counted.

The statistics may make it seem like the roads have a glut of older drivers.

"The perception is there's a great storm on the horizon, but that's not necessarily the case," said Richard A. Marottoli, a researcher at the Veterans Administration at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

"As people get older," Marottoli said, "they typically don't need to drive as much as they used to."

Illinois was one of the first states to take stringent measures to weed out unsafe older drivers. In 1989, it began to require more frequent driver's-license renewal tests for older drivers, a controversial change criticized by the AARP and other senior citizen groups that objected to the assumption that older drivers are less safe.

"We feel that licensing should be based on a person's ability to drive, not just on their age," Ayers said.

Drivers ages 55 through 74 must renew their licenses every four years. Drivers 75 through 80 must complete a driving test every four years. In their early to mid-80s, drivers must renew every two years, and every year after age 87.

"A lot of people want stricter driving rules after an older person has a bad accident," said Lynda Ganzer, director of the Department for Senior and Community Services at the secretary of state's office. "They try to say that older people shouldn't be on the road. But there are just as many kids out there making mistakes."

For seniors who decide or are forced to give up their licenses, life can be hard. The suburbs, experts say, often do not have the services to keep seniors active.

"This society is a driving society," Marottoli said. "If you retire in rural or suburban areas, there are fewer alternatives for getting around."

Discounts on taxi rides, buses and dial-a-ride programs run by local townships or villages may fill the gap to some extent but cannot help seniors reclaim the independence they had when they drove.

"It's a very hard shift for someone who has been driving to rely on public transportation," said Karen Hanson, director of the Arlington Heights Senior Center. "They miss the convenience of jumping in the car."

Older drivers may also lose their self-confidence without resources to train them, said Nancy Nelson, director of the Department on Aging.

"Like anything else, they have to practice; they need a chance to refresh their skills."

One of these opportunities was showcased at the conference. Driving simulators project a film on a screen that give the three drivers behind artificial steering columns the look and feel of the road.

The simulators measure a driver's speed, braking, signaling and reaction time, Ganzer said.

Joni Nieckula, a DePaul University student from Brookfield, attended the conference with her 84-year-old father and 75-year-old mother in mind.

She makes sure they wear their seatbelts and know the rules of the road before getting behind the wheel.

"The roles are reversed," she said. "They used to talk to me that way when I was younger, and now I take care of them because I want them to be here forever."